Chapter 13. The First Man to Come to This House

Yerin had no choice but to lead Lee Hyun up the stairs to her house.

Being on the very top floor, Lee Hyun’s brow furrowed slightly as they climbed the stairs.

“There are quite a few stairs. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault.”

After a while, the two arrived at Yerin’s rooftop villa.

“My house is a bit cramped.”

“It’s okay, let’s just open the door first.”

Yerin entered first by entering the door lock password.

She felt embarrassed showing Lee Hyun her cramped home, but it was an unavoidable situation.

“The bathroom is here, just a moment.”

Yerin grabbed the sleeve of Lee Hyun, who was about to go inside.

Then she pressed her phone a few times and played a popular song that was trending these days.

“What’s this?”

“Our house isn’t soundproofed well. The music is loud enough that no one outside will hear anything, so don’t worry and go in.”

Lee Hyun chuckled in disbelief and bent down to enter the bathroom.

She hadn’t noticed it while she was there, but with Lee Hyun standing, the ceiling seemed a bit low.

The door clicked shut.

Yerin went to the kitchen, the farthest room from the bathroom.

It felt strange to just stand there, so without realizing it, Yerin boiled water in the coffee pot.

Soon, the sound of the faucet turned on, and she could hear Lee Hyun washing his hands.

“I’m feeling a bit strange.”

The mere presence of Lee Hyun in her house made her feel oddly emotional.

And naturally, memories of that night came flooding back.

Lee Hyun’s voice, him wrapping around her waist and whispering sweetly in her ear…

Tap—

The boiling coffee pot chimed in as if to interrupt her impure thoughts.

“I’m crazy, I’m crazy. What am I supposed to do if I act like this too?”

Since Lee Hyun wasn’t escaping the effects of that night, she should at least keep herself together.

At that moment.

A familiar deep voice suddenly came from behind.

“What’s wrong, Secretary Han?”

“Huh?”

How long had he been listening?

Yerin’s brown eyes trembled with fear.

“I thought you were mumbling to yourself.”

“Oh, I was just thinking about what I need to do tomorrow.”

At Yerin’s words, the corners of Lee Hyun’s mouth curved upward.

“You’re quite diligent.”

“Thank you.”

Normally, it would be right to send Lee Hyun off after finishing business at her house.

However, strangely, she didn’t want to do that.

There’s a sense of connection in Korean culture, and also…

Lee Hyun looked curiously at the steaming coffee pot behind Yerin.

“Why did you boil water?”

“Huh?”

Yerin was startled and began to stammer.

“It was just here, and I didn’t realize…”

Then, finding it amusing herself, she covered her mouth with one hand and laughed.

“Director, would you like to have a cup of tea before you leave?”

At Yerin’s words, Lee Hyun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Yerin quickly added, waving her hands.

“I’m absolutely not trying to seduce you. I just had such a delicious dinner tonight.”

“You can do that.”

“Pardon?”

“No, but I’m not sure if I can accept tea from you.”

“Is it because of the promise you made to me before coming?”

Lee Hyun nodded slightly while leaning against the refrigerator.

It was a really insignificant little house, but with Lee Hyun standing there, it seemed to shine like a photo shoot location.

“I promised I would leave right after using the bathroom, so I was wondering if drinking tea here would be a breach of that promise.”

“No, drinking tea was my suggestion first.”

“Okay, then I’ll sit and wait quietly.”

Lee Hyun walked over to the dining table and pulled out a chair.

Yerin busily opened the storage cabinet.

“Of all things, I put that there.”

She hadn’t spent much time at home, and there was no one coming over.

Recently, while organizing her house, she realized she had placed the green tea bags at the very top.

“Ugh.”

Yerin stood on her tiptoes and reached out.

The box containing the green tea bags was just out of reach.

“Just a little more…”

Thinking she could reach it with a little more stretch, she exerted herself too much.

As if to tease Yerin, the box suddenly slid deeper inside.

“Ah, really.”

With no choice, Yerin stood on her tiptoes a bit more.

From a distance that felt almost reachable, the box kept eluding her grasp.

Then it happened.

“……”

She felt a very familiar warmth behind her, and Yerin quickly turned her head.

And she was even more startled than before.

There was Lee Hyun’s face so close.

Yerin found herself unknowingly captivated, gazing at his face.

Her heart lost its rhythm and beat wildly.

It was such an explicit sound that she wondered if Lee Hyun could hear her heart.

Yet, she couldn’t take her eyes off his face.

His intricately sculpted features were enough to capture Yerin’s gaze.

Thick eyebrows, black eyes that revealed nothing, a prominent nose, and sensual lips.

Yerin swallowed hard without realizing it.

She finally tore her gaze away from Lee Hyun’s face and looked down.

It seemed that Lee Hyun was already untying his tie because it was hot in her house.

With a few buttons of his shirt undone, his skin was clearly visible.

‘No matter where I look, he’s really attractive; it’s a big deal.’

What interrupted Yerin’s thoughts was Lee Hyun’s low voice by her ear.

“Are you done admiring?”

“Huh?”

“How long do I have to wait?”

At that moment, Yerin snapped back to reality and suddenly pushed Lee Hyun away with her arms.

For a brief moment, her hands touched his solid chest muscles.

In an instant, Yerin’s face turned bright red.

Lee Hyun stepped back and bumped into the refrigerator.

“Oh my, I’m sorry.”

Lee Hyun laughed for a while as if he found it amusing.

“I know I’m quite detestable.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Still, isn’t violence a bit much?”

Lee Hyun rubbed his waist where he bumped into the refrigerator with one hand and handed Yerin a box.

“I was trying to help you with pure intentions.”

“Yes, I know.”

Ironically, it was herself who was not pure.

Yerin quickly turned around, placed two green tea bags in a prepared cup, poured hot water, and moved to the dining table.

Feeling shy for no reason, she took a sip of the green tea, found it too hot, and quickly pulled her lips away.

“Is it okay?”

“Haah. Yes, it’s very hot, so please take your time.”

“Can I take that as you wanting me to stay here longer?”

“……”

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

Yerin was completely flustered by Lee Hyun’s words that sounded like a mix of truth and joke.

No, in fact, what he said was not a problem at all.

It was just that she found it ridiculous how conscious she was of him.

The green tea was so hot that Yerin’s cheeks flushed again.

It was truly the heat of the green tea.

And the memory of Lee Hyun’s firm body that had brushed against her earlier kept making her more confused.

To ease the tense atmosphere, Lee Hyun asked.

“It’s hard to have tea at your house.”

“Indeed. I’m sorry. No one really comes to my house, so I placed the green tea bags high up.”

Hearing that, for some reason, the corners of Lee Hyun’s mouth curled up.

“Didn’t your ex-boyfriend come over?”

“No, of course not.”

Yerin set down her cup of green tea and added one more thing.

She couldn’t help but address the obvious question he was asking.

“How could I bring a man to my house? I’m not that kind of woman.”

This time, Lee Hyun’s mouth twitched involuntarily, regardless of her intention.

“So according to that, I’m the first man to come to this house?”

“Ah…”

Now that she said it, it seemed that way.

However, she hadn’t called him on purpose, so Yerin quickly corrected herself.

“I didn’t invite you as a man. Strictly speaking, I was just helping a superior in a difficult situation.”

“So I’m the first male superior to come to this house?”

Lee Hyun liked to be very certain.

Though it hadn’t been long since she served him, she had observed that he preferred fact-checking.

Thinking of it as an extension of that, Yerin answered his question straightforwardly.

“Strictly speaking, that is correct.”

“But is it okay to bring a male superior to your house?”

“Pardon?”

Lee Hyun leaned forward as he set down his cup of green tea.

“Secretary Han, isn’t that a bit defenseless?”

The look in Lee Hyun’s eyes as he said that was so dizzying.

It was almost enough to make her swoon.

Yerin suppressed her trembling voice and continued.

“Now that I think about it, it seems that way. It’s because you pressured me too much before I could make a proper decision.”

Watching Yerin speak her mind steadily, Lee Hyun continued to smile.

“Let’s make an exception for me.”

“Why?”

“Why do you ask?”

Lee Hyun rested his chin on one hand.

Then, with eyes even deeper than before, he looked at Yerin.

“We’re going to date soon.”

“……”

“So isn’t it a bit ambiguous to only categorize me as a male superior?”

“I haven’t made a decision yet.”

“Oh, I see.”

Lee Hyun lazily pulled up the corners of his lips.

“Shall we finish the conversation we were having earlier?”

Having talked so much with Lee Hyun, Yerin couldn’t tell what conversation he was referring to.

And even if she remembered, the conversation always flowed in the direction Lee Hyun wanted.

“So am I the first man to come to this house?”

“Yes.”

“I hope it stays that way in the future.”

The seriousness in Lee Hyun’s gaze as he said that almost made Yerin nod her head.

Barely holding onto her sanity, Yerin asked back.

“Why?”

“Just because.”

Lee Hyun stood up and stepped in front of Yerin.

Yerin had to lift her head for a while before she could meet Lee Hyun’s gaze.

In an attempt to accommodate her, Lee Hyun slightly bent at the waist.

No, this wasn’t a consideration.

The distance between them had become so narrow because Lee Hyun leaned down.

Yerin unconsciously grabbed the hem of her skirt and stopped breathing.

“It’s strange. I want to be your first in everything.”

It was a statement full of potential misunderstandings.

However, Lee Hyun continued with unwavering eyes.

“If you want, Secretary Han, I’ll give you my first.”

“……”

“Is this feeling something that usually comes with dating?”

Lee Hyun spoke as if he were genuinely in a relationship.

“I don’t really know.”

And for some reason, he leaned in closer, reducing the distance between them to less than 10 centimeters.

“So, when will you give me your answer?”

Just as Lee Hyun’s breath was about to touch Yerin’s face.

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

Someone knocked on Yerin’s door as if to break it down.